Iron Maiden – Speed of Light

It’s been a busy year for Iron Maiden, especially for frontman Bruce Dickinson. After overcoming two cancerous tumors in his tongue and neck, then crash landing a plane in recent months, Bruce has narrowly avoided catastrophe. With a clean bill of health, Iron Maiden has returned to the studio and teased their upcoming album “The Book of Souls” with their latest single “Speed of Light.”

Being one of the shortest songs on the album, “Speed of Light” clocks in at five minutes long, but is jam packed with all the necessary amount of metal. It’s hard to believe that after thirty years, Iron Maiden can still create such high quality songs. Many bands have lost their luster over age, but these guys have continued to show their dominance in the metal scene, even in their prior album “The Final Frontier.” With that signature 80’s wail to start off the song, fans will immediately know that Iron Maiden is back after a five year break, and in full force. The rhythm guitar throughout is very catchy, a chord-heavy sound that has inspired so many current bands. Half way through the song is an amazing dual guitar solo, one of many I can foresee in this album. I’m excited about this song, and can’t wait to hear more.

If the song was amazing enough, the music video is a bonus treat. Mimicking some of the most popular video games, the entire video shows the evolution of gaming. Starting with a Donkey Kong-esque battle, the Iron Maiden mascot Eddie travels through dimensions and different videos games, ultimately appearing in a visually realistic game (most likely Doom). I really enjoyed the video presentation, especially the Mortal Kombat scene containing the song’s solo.

Overall, it’s a great single from a great band. I highly recommend checking out the song, and wait in anticipation of their newest album.